RIP, Jim Capozzola
I’m not even sure where to start this.
I first met Jim Capozzola (the gentleman on the right) in 2004. His reputation in the Philly progressive blogging community is legendary, and I have long been in awe of his flair for writing and his keen eye for political detail at Rittenhouse Review. We’d corresponded [...]
I’m not even sure where to start this.
I first met Jim Capozzola (the gentleman on the right) in 2004. His reputation in the Philly progressive blogging community is legendary, and I have long been in awe of his flair for writing and his keen eye for political detail at Rittenhouse Review. We’d corresponded for some time before we actually met at Drinking Liberally in Philadelphia. In person, he wasn’t what I expected.
Deadpan is one word I could use. Intelligent to a fault. Angst ridden. Passionate. Searching. Intense. Always reading something. Jimmy was a guy who had been through the worst that life could throw at him, but still maintained a finely-honed sense of humor. Personality-wise, we were very much simpatico, which is probably why we hit it off so well almost instantly. We stayed at DL long after others had left on a couple of occasions, and he shared some of his life stories that really moved me. His personal tales taught me a lot about the human spirit.
I bought him drinks (as did just about everyone else). I drove up from Jersey and helped him move, in the rain, using a borrowed, overheating Ford F-150. (That’s when I got to meet Mildred.) Not too long after that, I was able to offer him a picking, packing and shipping job when it seemed that nothing else was working out for him, employment-wise. Even though he had advanced degrees, and probably could have run the whole business, a job like that wasn’t beneath him. He kept me sane in an insane work environment. I never felt like his boss. Instead, Jim became my consigliere and confidante at a not-so-confident time in my life.
Above all, Jim was an unapologetic, progressive liberal and he made no bones about it. Oh, how I’d love to read what Jim would have written about Bush commuting Libby’s sentence. It wouldn’t be an “explosive” piece of writing, because that just wasn’t Jim’s style. He operated with an economy of words like a world class neurosurgeon wields a laser scalpel - carefully, with precision, and always displaying a genuine passion for the craft.
He despised everything about hypocrisy, and in particular, the hypocrisy of George W. Bush and the neocon cabal. He could sniff out a phony from a mile away, as any of his friends could tell you, and exposing the poseurs (on both sides of the political aisle) was Jim’s bread and butter during the heyday of Rittenhouse Review.
James Martin Capozzola, blogosphere pioneer, died this evening, much too young at 44. I’ll miss him tremendously. He was a true gentleman in every sense of the word - Julia correctly characterizes him as “dapper” - and a great friend that I was honored to know, however briefly in the continuum of life. Susie has more reflections at Suburban Guerrilla. Jim touched a lot of people both online and in the real world.
It’s been awhile since I last saw Jim. He hadn’t blogged since March, but that wasn’t necessarily unusual, as he was given to taking long breaks from the blogosphere. The last time we spoke, he was optimistic about his new job doing what he did best - some P.R. work, some writing, some schmoozing…and he was happier than I’d seen him in quite some time. Through our various life changes, we’d lost touch in recent months, and I’m regretting it terribly in this moment.
There’s a hard lesson in that.
Update: Undated photo above was taken at a past DL meetup, and shamelessly stolen from ASZ’s good friend, former contributor, and Philly ex-pat Sir Oolius (he’s on the left, Jim is on the right).
Updated update: In reading the various memorials for Jim, the one authored by Mick Arran (who didn’t know Jim at all) correctly articulates his impact as a progressive blogging pioneer. Check it out.
Richard,
I didn’t know Mr. Capozzola at all but after reading your fine tribute, I can understand the gravity of the loss. My condolences to all who had the pleasure of knowing him.
Regards,
Daniel
/angst ridden. Too true, but such a sense of humor to boot.
Jim & I emailed and phoned each other years ago, and yes, we lost track. It’s a shame.
Rest in Peace, Jim. And thanks for the lovely tribute, RC.
Oh, it is sad news, Richard, and I am left with few words. Your piece captures Jim well, though. Thanks much for writing it.
A moving tribute. My hope is to remember that we are ALL time-limited phenomena, and to treat the people I meet well (either in person, or through the blogosphere). A Republic needs citizens, and although this exemplary one is gone, maybe there are enough left yet. May the Creative Forces of the Universe shine upon the renewal of our country, if possible.
thanks for writing this, richard…i was searching for words last night, and just couldn’t find them.
jim and i hit it off big time too from the moment we met and shortly after that, jim dragged susie back to drinking liberally to meet me.
i’m having trouble making sense of his passing. i just hope he experienced unbounded joy at his soul’s being released from his body.
don’t feel too guilty though for falling out of touch - jim didn’t want his friends to see him in his decline, as many people do in his situation. still, i’m filled with some regret too. and i couldn’t sleep last night thinking about mildred.
Thanks, everyone. I think we all know someone like Jim. The Scooter Libby’s of the world aren’t worth a bucket of warm spit or words or tears spilled, in comparison to someone like Jim.
Oh, and Mildred’s fine, sg - I’m sure you already read Susie, but Mildred is with Jim’s brother.
yeah i know mildred is being taken care of, i just can’t help thinking of her moping around missing him. there was a fierce love between those two.
i’ve just been sitting here reading all the blogger remembrances of him and it’s just so sad that he’s gone.
Oh, Richard! What a great photo of Oolius and Jim! Thanks a lot, and please thank Oolius, as well.
he was a true gentleman in every sense of the word. i don’t think i exaggerate when i say that liberal blogtopia may not have progressed or congealed as soon without his expertise and generosity to us newbies back in the day.
i’m so depressed.
I still can’t believe I’m not going to see Jim anymore. I’m depressed, too, Skippy….
what IS going to happen to mildred?
Thanks for this tribute to a long-ago-but-always dear friend. When I started editing RH Reality Check, Jim, a friend from DC/Rehoboth Beach, said, “I knew you’d get dragged into the blogosphere sooner or later.” While we emailed about getting together over the last two years, it never happened - and that now makes me crankier than a wench. To me and many Jimmy was the most witty, biting, adorable, intelligent, compassionate, sexy guy we knew … and he was fun when he was sober too. I can hear him holding court now on the screened porch at Rehoboth, waves crashing, breakfast cooking, hangovers nursing … he there with the Sunday Times … “can you fucking believe ….” and now today, I say, can you fucking believe Jimmy is dead? I cannot, because a spirit that strong never dies, we’ll just have to look a little closer to see where he comes through next. So sorry not to be able to make the funeral …. thanks so much for allowing this space for a tribute.
I first met Jim in the mid-80s … he’d started dating one of my best friends and one night we were all headed out to “the bars.” Of course, a shirt had to be ironed and Jim proceeded to tell me that I was doing it all wrong. “All wrong” I remember thinking … it’s freakin’ ironing for crying out loud. Not being one to leave well enough alone, he continued to order me around the ironing board. I just kept thinking “who the hell is this guy” and how would he ever fit in as a friend? Well, needless to say, he became a damn fine friend and it breaks my heart that he’s gone. Here’s hoping those of us still around from those days, take some time to get back in touch with one another and find a way not to let someone so important to us slip away like this again.
Michael Anderson
Jim posted about Midge Decter’s “The Boys on the Beach”, a misguided article that provided much of the Right’s perspective towards homosexuality — which is wrong. When I went looking for his post on the net tonight, I discovered he had passed. He wrote much that I agree with and made his points well. I will miss reading what he had to say.